Foreign Affairs Minister reveals the state of Ghanaians in Libya

Foreign Affairs Minister Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey has revealed that several Ghanaian migrants are stranded in Libya and they are seeking ways to return home.

According to her, the exact number of Ghanaian migrants in Libya is difficult to ascertain given the instability in North Africa country.

Foreign Affairs Minister’s comments follow a report by the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) Displacement Tracking Matrix in March this year that 62,422 Ghanaians were identified in different cities and detention centres in Libya.

Addressing Parliament on Wednesday, 11 July 2018, following a question from Member of Parliament (MP) for Builsa South constituency, Dr Clement Apaak, Madam Botchwey challenged figures put out by the IOM but admitted that some Ghanaians are stuck in Libya.

“Mr Speaker, the ministry is aware that there are some stranded Ghanaians in Libya who contact the consulate in Tripoli for assistance, however, the figure put out by IOM in Accra conflicts with figures provided by IOM in Tripoli.

“This, coupled with the highly volatile situation in Libya has made it very difficult to obtain information of the actual number of Ghanaian nationals in that country. This is because Libya today has vast areas of its territory in the hands of rival militia groups operating outside the control of internationally recognised interim governments of national accord,” she said.